WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- State Sen. George Latimer formally launched his re-election campaign for the 37th Senate District at an annual summer picnic in his home community of Rye on Sunday, July 20.

"Over an extended period of time, I've put partisan politics aside in the interest of getting real results that our constituents demand of us and I've done that at every level of government that I've been privileged to serve at," Latimer said.

"It's important after two years in the Senate to continue those efforts and reach all of the people in all parts of this district. This campaign will be about the people of this district and the state issues that face them, not the interests of political parties and cynical insiders. We've made some significant progress over the last two years fighting to improve the economy, our classrooms and our communities as a whole. There are issues that remain incomplete; it's important for the people of this district to elect the best advocate to fight for their needs."

Latimer's announcement comes at the conclusion of the formal party designating process where candidates collect signatures on a petition for their names to appear on the ballot. Latimer will appear on the Democratic and Working Families Party ballot lines. His campaign announced that it had completed the petition process with about 4,000 signatures, nearly four times the minimum amount required.

"Our strength during the petition drive reaffirms that there is tremendous grass-roots support for my candidacy, and now it has manifested in every corner of the district, from Bedford to Yonkers," said Latimer.